1754 English cricket season
Encyclopedia
In the 1754 English cricket season, Dartford
was the pre-dominant club.
The Leeds Intelligencer, forerunner of the Yorkshire Post
, began publication. It has always been a noted source for cricket in Yorkshire
.
on Bowling Green, Lavington Common . The former apparently won by eight wickets and the match seems to mark the swansong of Slindon as a great team as they are not mentioned in the sources thereafter. Sussex cricket as a whole went into decline and, although a number of inter-parish games are reported over the next decade or so, it is not until 1766 that Sussex county cricket teams again take part in a major match. This temporary demise of Sussex is surely explained by the death of the Duke of Richmond
in 1750. He was the greatest patron of Sussex cricket, and of Slindon in particular. His co-patron and good friend Sir William Gage, 7th Baronet died in 1744.
The Daily Advertiser on Friday 28 June announced for the same day a two-a-side game behind George Taylor’s at Deptford. The players were Tom Faulkner
and Joseph Harris
v Capon and Perry
Tues 24 September. A single wicket game at Brompton in Kent between the well-known Thomas Brandon
of Dartford and Parr of Chatham. The stakes were five guineas each and Brandon won by 47 runs .
Dartford Cricket Club
Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent...
was the pre-dominant club.
The Leeds Intelligencer, forerunner of the Yorkshire Post
Yorkshire Post
The Yorkshire Post is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England by Yorkshire Post Newspapers, a company owned by Johnston Press...
, began publication. It has always been a noted source for cricket in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
.
Matches
| Date | Match Title | Venue | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 July (M) | London London Cricket Club The original London Cricket Club was formed by 1722 and was one of the foremost clubs in English cricket over the next four decades. It is closely associated with the Artillery Ground, where it played most of its home matches.-Early history of London cricket:... v Dartford Dartford Cricket Club Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent... |
Artillery Ground Artillery Ground The Artillery Ground in Finsbury is one of London's most centrally located cricket grounds, situated just off the City Road immediately north of the City of London... |
Dartford won by 3 wkts | |
London made 78 and 50; Dartford replied with 55 and 74-7. The Daily Advertiser on Fri 28 June said: Wickets pitched at Twelve, and to begin play at One. |
||||
| 22 July (M) | Surrey Surrey county cricket teams Surrey county cricket teams have been traced back to the 17th century but the county's involvement in cricket goes back much further than that. The first definite mention of cricket anywhere in the world is dated c.1550 in Guildford.-17th century:... v Sussex |
Guildford Guildford Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region... |
result unknown | |
The match was advertised as: Guildford, Ripley, Thursley and the lower part of Surrey against Bolney, Brighton and the eastern part of Sussex. The stake was 20 guineas a side. |
||||
| 24 August (S) | Woolwich v Dartford Dartford Cricket Club Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent... |
Barrack Field, Woolwich | Dartford won | |
| 26 August (M) | Dartford Dartford Cricket Club Dartford Cricket Club is one of the oldest in England and its origins go back to the early 18th century, perhaps earlier.See also: Dartford Brent... v Woolwich |
Dartford Brent Dartford Brent Dartford Brent was an extensive area of common land on the outskirts of Dartford in Kent. In history, it was the scene of a confrontation between King Henry VI and Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York in 1452; and in 1555 thousands of spectators were to witness the burning to death at the stake of... |
Woolwich won | |
Both the above two games were mentioned in the same report by Read’s Weekly Journal dated Sat 31 August: Dartford won away & lost at home against Woolwich on Sat. & Mon., Aug. 24 & 26 respectively. |
||||
Other events
Fri 21 & Sat 22 June. Midhurst & Petworth v SlindonSlindon Cricket Club
Slindon Cricket Club was famous in the middle part of the 18th century when it claimed to have the best team in England. It was located at Slindon, a village in the Arun district of Sussex....
on Bowling Green, Lavington Common . The former apparently won by eight wickets and the match seems to mark the swansong of Slindon as a great team as they are not mentioned in the sources thereafter. Sussex cricket as a whole went into decline and, although a number of inter-parish games are reported over the next decade or so, it is not until 1766 that Sussex county cricket teams again take part in a major match. This temporary demise of Sussex is surely explained by the death of the Duke of Richmond
Charles Lennox, 2nd Duke of Richmond
The 2nd Duke of Richmond has been described as early cricket's greatest patron. Although he had played cricket as a boy, his real involvement began after he succeeded to the dukedom...
in 1750. He was the greatest patron of Sussex cricket, and of Slindon in particular. His co-patron and good friend Sir William Gage, 7th Baronet died in 1744.
The Daily Advertiser on Friday 28 June announced for the same day a two-a-side game behind George Taylor’s at Deptford. The players were Tom Faulkner
Tom Faulkner
Tom Faulkner , known as "Long Tom", was a noted English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period.A Surrey man, he was a prominent single wicket player who frequently played in challenge matches at the Artillery Ground....
and Joseph Harris
Harris brothers (cricketers)
John Harris and his brother Joseph Harris were English cricketers in the 1740s and 1750s...
v Capon and Perry
Tues 24 September. A single wicket game at Brompton in Kent between the well-known Thomas Brandon
Thomas Brandon
Thomas Brandon was a noted English cricketer of the mid-18th century who played mainly for Dartford Cricket Club and Kent...
of Dartford and Parr of Chatham. The stakes were five guineas each and Brandon won by 47 runs .
External sources
Further reading
- H S AlthamHarry AlthamHarry Surtees Altham, CBE, DSO, MC was an English cricketer who became an important figure in the game as an administrator, historian and coach. His Wisden obituary described him as "among the best known personalities in the world of cricket"...
, A History of Cricket, Volume 1 (to 1914), George Allen & Unwin, 1962 - Derek BirleyDerek BirleySir Derek Birley was an English educator and writer who had a strong interest in sport, especially cricket.He was educated at grammar school in Hemsworth, West Yorkshire, and at Queens' College, Cambridge University....
, A Social History of English Cricket, Aurum, 1999 - Rowland BowenRowland BowenMajor Rowland Francis Bowen was a cricket researcher, historian and writer....
, Cricket: A History of its Growth and Development, Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1970 - David UnderdownDavid UnderdownDavid E. Underdown was a historian of 17th-century English politics and culture and Professor Emeritus at Yale University. Born at Wells, Somerset, Underdown was educated at the Blue School and Exeter College, Oxford...
, Start of Play, Allen Lane, 2000